HOME VS WORK
1016 Words
CHAPTER 13
Tara barely remembered how she got home. One second she had been standing in Jaden’s office.
The next she was sitting in a taxi gripping her bag so tightly her fingers hurt.
That flash inside her head still replayed over and over again.
The hotel room.
The feeling of someone holding her Jaden.
God. Why was Jaden in her previous memory?
None of it made sense.
“Tara?”
She blinked suddenly.
Mrs. Chen, her elderly neighbor, stood outside the apartment building holding Ken’s tiny backpack.
“You’re late today,” the woman said gently.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Mrs. Chen smiled kindly. “Ken waited by the door for almost an hour.”
Guilt punched Tara immediately.
She thanked her quickly before hurrying upstairs.
The moment she unlocked the apartment door, tiny footsteps came running.
“Mommy!”
Ken crashed into her legs at full speed.
Tara nearly cried from relief.
She dropped to her knees and hugged him tightly.
“There’s my favorite boy.”
Ken pulled back, studying her face with serious little eyes.
“You’re sad again.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Tara forced a smile instantly.
“I’m not sad.”
“You are.”
Children noticed everything. Especially Ken. At only five years old, he somehow understood emotions better than most adults.
He touched her cheek softly.
“Did work make you cry?”
Her chest tightened painfully.
“No, sweetheart.”
But the hesitation betrayed her.
Ken frowned.
“I don’t like your work.”
Tara laughed weakly despite herself.
“Neither do I sometimes.”
He grabbed her hand immediately.
“Then stay home forever.” If only life worked that way.
Tara kissed the top of his head before standing.
“Go wash your hands. I’ll make dinner.”
Ken obeyed reluctantly while Tara moved toward the kitchen.
The apartment was small. Nothing luxurious but was warm and safe.
Every piece of furniture had been bought carefully with overtime money and sacrificed sleep.
Everything she did every exhausting day was for Ken and her family.
Yet lately, she felt herself slipping. Work consumed her constantly. And Jaden somehow made everything worse.
She froze while reaching for plates. The Memory slammed into her again. Their hands touched that strange flash.The hotel room.
Her breathing turned uneven. Was that a memory or a dream or maybe hallucination?
Tara pressed a hand against her forehead. She was losing her mind.
Her phone buzzed suddenly on the counter.
One message.
From Ethan.
Mr. Jaden canceled all meetings after you left.
Tara stared at the text confused.That didn’t sound like Jaden at all.
He never canceled meetings. Another message appeared.
He’s been distracted all evening.
Her stomach twisted strangely.
Why?
Because of what happened? Not that Impossible.
Jaden did not get emotionally distracted.
Especially not because of her. Tara locked the phone immediately and shoved it aside.
She refused to think about him. Unfortunately, her brain ignored that decision completely.
Even while cooking dinner…she remembered the way he looked at her, the way his voice softened when he said her name and the strange ache she felt whenever he was near.
“Mommy?”
Tara blinked.
Ken sat at the table swinging his tiny legs while watching her carefully.
“You burned the rice.”
Smoke rose lightly from the pot.
“Oh no.”
Ken giggled for the first time all evening. The sound softened something inside her instantly. Ten minutes later, they sat together eating ruined dinner while cartoons played softly in the background.
Ken talked nonstop about school. Tara listened carefully, smiling more genuinely now.
This was her real life. Her son, her tiny little family.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“Why do grown-ups look sad even when they have money?”
Tara nearly choked on her water.
“Where did that come from?”
Ken shrugged innocently.
“The man on TV looked sad.”
She smiled faintly.
“Sometimes money doesn’t fix everything.”
“Can it fix your sadness?”
The question shattered her quietly. Tara reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
“I’m okay, baby.”
Ken looked unconvinced.
Later that night, after Ken fell asleep on the couch, Tara carefully carried him to bed.
He curled against her immediately even in sleep.
Her heart melted.
She stayed beside him for several minutes brushing hair away from his forehead.
Then quietly her phone buzzed again.
This time, it was Jaden. Tara’s stomach tightened instantly.
Tomorrow. My office. 8 a.m.
No explanation, just another command.
Tara stared at the message with frustration burning through her chest.
After everything that happened today after that impossible moment between them he still spoke to her like nothing changed.
The next morning arrived too quickly.
Tara rushed around the apartment while trying to prepare breakfast, pack Ken’s school bag, answer work emails, and mentally prepare herself to face Jaden again.
Her stress showed immediately.
“You forgot your coffee,” Ken said.
She blinked.
“Oh.”
“You forgot your shoes too.”
Tara looked down.
She was still wearing slippers.
Ken giggled.
“You’re messy today.”
“Thank you for noticing.”
He smiled proudly while eating cereal.
Tara finally managed to gather her work documents into a folder before kneeling beside him.
“I’ll pick you up early today, okay?”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Ken hugged her tightly.
And for one second everything felt normal again.
Until her work file slipped from the couch onto the floor.
Several papers scattered. One page flipped over completely.
A large corporate profile photo stared upward. Jaden
Ken froze instantly.
His cereal spoon slipped from his hand.
Tara noticed immediately.
“Ken?”
The little boy stared silently at Jaden’s photograph.
His face had gone strangely pale.
“Sweetheart?”
Slowly…Ken looked up at her.
Fear filled his tiny eyes.
“Mommy…” he whispered shakily.
Tara’s heartbeat stopped.
Ken pointed at the photo with trembling fingers.
“That’s the man from my dream.”
- Writer
